(KCBS) – As Germany and Argentina prepare to face off for the World Cup Sunday, semi-final losers Brazil and the Netherlands will play a match Friday.

It reminds John Madden of when the NFL had conference championship game losers play a game for ‘third place’ many years ago.

“Someone called it the loser bowl,” Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew. “It was a bad idea… Someone in the NFL brought that up, to have that again this year, but didn’t know the history of it — that ‘no, no’ we tried that years ago and it didn’t work. As a matter of fact, it became a joke.”

Madden doesn’t see the value of playing for third place.

“It gets to be where (as a player) you protect yourself,” Madden said. “I think that’s kind of what happened in the NFL. You’ve already gone through the World Cup, you’ve already gone through the height of competition and giving up yourself and your body. And then you kind of have to do it for nothing. And I don’t think that anyone (wants) to get through the whole competition and then get hurt in a runner-up bowl.” (6:30)

Daily Madden

(Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM.)